plate no. 3743

St. Gregory the Great

oil, canvasRomanticismportraitfigureportraitbookreligious figurerobehat

what to study here

It shows how a three-value structure, soft edges and unblended strokes can carry a figure against a nearly black ground.

The useful lesson here is how few value groups hold the picture together. The vision analysis describes a near-black background, a lit white robe and book, and a warm mid-tone zone of burnt sienna, ochre and tanned flesh. There are almost no subtle gradations between these groups, so the figure reads as one bright shape in a dark void. Squint at it and that simple shape is what remains. The light comes strongly from the upper left, and the pale open book in the lap is where the eye lands first, then moves up to the robe and face. Study the edges: they are soft, with no hard line between figure and ground, even where the value jump is large. Study the brushwork on the white robe too. The strokes follow the form and are left unblended, so highlights and shadows stay legible. The mitre and the embroidered vestment are suggested with gesture, not rendered detail. For a student, the question is how much can be left implied while the three-quarter pose and the downward-tilted head still read.

key decision

The painter limited the picture to deep darks, near-white lights and a warm mid-tone zone, with almost no gradations between them. Edges stay soft and the robe strokes stay visible.

recreation guide

Francisco Goya’s 'St. Gregory the Great' (1797) represents a pivotal moment in his career, bridging his role as a court painter with the emerging Romantic sensibility that would define his later work. As a portrait, the work intends to achieve a recognizable likeness of the sitter, serving as a record of appearance while potentially reflecting the artist’s internal state following his severe illness in 1793 (Source 5, Source 7). Goya is often characterized as the 'last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns,' suggesting a technique that respects traditional oil painting methods while pushing toward expressive freedom (Source 5). The recreation should focus on the structural integrity of the portrait and the nuanced handling of light and color, consistent with the high standards of the Spanish court where Goya served as Prime Court Painter by 1799 (Source 5).

estimated time

40-60 hours over 8-12 sessions

materials

4 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (Ultramarine, White, Black, Red Ochre, Yellow Ochre, Vermilion)	Primary pigments for underpainting and glazing	High-quality artist-grade oils
Oil of Copavia (or modern stand oil/linseed oil blend)	Medium for the first and second paintings, as cited in Reynolds’ method which Goya’s contemporaries practiced	Stand oil or a mix of linseed oil and damar varnish
Canvas	Support for the oil painting	Linen or cotton canvas, primed
Charcoal or Conté crayon	Underdrawing	Vine charcoal or graphite

preparation

surface prep

Prepare a standard oil ground on canvas. Goya, working within the tradition of the Old Masters, likely utilized a white or light-toned ground to facilitate the handling of light and shadow, though specific records for this painting are absent. The surface should be smooth enough to allow for the fine finish characteristic of court portraiture (Source 4).

underdrawing

Begin with a loose but accurate underdrawing to establish the likeness. Portrait painting requires distinct skills for painting a good likeness, which took centuries to refine (Source 7). Goya’s early career involved Rococo-style tapestry cartoons, suggesting a comfort with linear design, but his later work shows a looser, more expressive hand. Use charcoal to block in the major forms and facial features, ensuring the composition is balanced (Source 8).

underpainting

Execute a grisaille (monochrome underpainting) using black, ultramarine, and white, mixed with oil of copavia or a similar medium. This method, described by Sir Joshua Reynolds and practiced by old masters, involves mentally extracting red and yellow colors to establish the tonal structure first (Source 1). This step is crucial for managing the 'modifications of the light on the model' (Source 2).

color palette

Ultramarine

Pure ultramarine

Underpainting and cool shadows; Goya’s palette often relied on strong blues for depth

White

Lead white or titanium white

Highlights and mixing with ultramarine/black for the grisaille

Black

Ivory black or lamp black

Underpainting and deep shadows

Red Ochre/Vermilion

Red earth tones

Glazing over the grisaille to introduce warmth and flesh tones

Yellow Ochre

Yellow earth tones

Glazing to introduce warmth and highlights

composition

The composition should center the subject, utilizing the elements of design such as line, shape, and value to guide the viewer’s eye (Source 8). While specific details of St. Gregory’s pose are not described in the sources, Goya’s portraits typically emphasize the psychological presence of the sitter. The arrangement should avoid 'smallness' and instead focus on broad masses, a technique recommended for copying works like Reynolds’ portraits to check tendencies toward over-modeling (Source 4).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the likeness using charcoal, focusing on the structural proportions of the face and body.
Tip — Ensure the likeness is recognizable, as this is the primary intent of portrait painting (Source 7).
Linear design

underpainting

step 02
Apply a grisaille using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia. Establish the full range of values from dark to light.
Tip — Mentally extract red and yellow colors, focusing on what would be left in nature if these colors were not present (Source 1).
Grisaille

first pass

step 03
Once the grisaille is dry, begin glazing with transparent coats of red and yellow tones using oil.
Tip — Glazing is a transparent coat of color that allows the underlying painting to show through, similar to tinting an engraving (Source 1).
Glazing

refining

step 04
Use scumbling (semi-opaque painting) to adjust tones, particularly over darker grounds to achieve a grey bloom or coldness if needed.
Tip — Be aware that scumbling over a darker ground tends to coldness (Source 1).
Scumbling

finishing

step 05
Refine the likeness and adjust color harmonies. Use complementary colors to enhance intensity or soften tones as needed.
Tip — If a color is too pronounced, soften it by surrounding it with objects of the same color, more intense. If too pale, use a complementary background (Source 3).
Simultaneous contrast

varnishing

step 06
Apply a final varnish to protect the painting and unify the surface.
Tip — Ensure the painting is completely dry before varnishing.
Varnishing

critical techniques

Glazing and Scumbling

Used by old masters to build up color and tone. Glazing adds transparent color, while scumbling adds semi-opaque layers. This method was widely practiced by the old masters, contrary to modern prejudice (Source 1).

Simultaneous Contrast

Understanding that colors affect each other when placed side by side. For example, red beside blue verges on orange. This helps in accurately perceiving and imitating the modifications of light and color (Source 2, Source 3).

Copying for Correction

Copying works by masters like Reynolds or Velazquez can help correct weaknesses such as over-modeling or being too tied to outlines (Source 4).

common pitfalls

→Over-modeling: Being too tied to outlines or small details, which can make the painting appear stiff. Copying works like Reynolds’ 'Portraits of Two Gentlemen' can help check this tendency (Source 4).
→Ignoring Color Interaction: Failing to account for simultaneous contrast, where colors appear different depending on their neighbors. This can lead to inaccurate color perception (Source 2).
→Premature Glazing: Applying glazes before the underpainting is completely dry, which can ruin the monochrome foundation (Source 1).

what the sources don't tell us

Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.

·Specific visual details of 'St. Gregory the Great' (e.g., exact clothing, background, facial expression) are not described in the provided sources.
·Goya’s specific palette for this painting is not detailed; the guide relies on general Old Master practices and Goya’s broader stylistic context.
·The exact medium Goya used for this specific work is not confirmed, though oil of copavia is cited as a contemporary method.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Underpainting and glazing techniques
- ON COPYING — applied to Correcting technical weaknesses
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 315-318 — applied to Color theory and simultaneous contrast
The Science of Painting↗
- 4 — applied to Color modification and harmony

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia bio — Francisco Goya↗
- part 1 — applied to Artist context and style
Wikipedia: Portrait painting↗
- part 1 — applied to Intent of portrait painting
Wikipedia: Composition (visual arts)↗
- part 1 — applied to Compositional elements

Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.

read from the painting

observed from the image, not the label

6 dominant colors, measured

what the eye sees

A single figure—St. Gregory—sits against an extremely dark, nearly black background, lit from the upper left by a strong directional light source. The eye is drawn immediately to the pale book held open in his lap, then up to the illuminated white robe and face. He wears an ornate tall mitre (hat) with gold detailing and elaborate ecclesiastical vestments embroidered in gold over cream, creating a warm middle ground between the brilliant white garments and the surrounding darkness. The figure is shown in three-quarter view, head tilted down toward the manuscript, creating an intimate pose of contemplation.

value structure

The painting is built on extreme value contrast: the background is almost pure black, forming an unbroken dark envelope; the white robe and book pages are the brightest lights, nearly untouched white; and a warm mid-tone zone of burnt sienna, ochre, and tanned flesh holds everything together. There are essentially three distinct value groups—deep darks, luminous lights, and warm mid-tones—with virtually no subtle gradations. Squinting reveals the composition as a simple shape: dark void with one brightly lit figure.

observed palette and mixes

#231a1d
ivory black + raw umber
background, deepest shadows in drapery and background
#181114
ivory black (nearly pure)
darkest background areas, establishing the void
#a49b97
titanium white + yellow ochre + touch of burnt sienna
the white robe, book pages, highlights on the mitre
#6f594b
burnt sienna + raw umber + white
mid-tone flesh, warm shadows in the robe, the decorative vestment
#41312e
raw umber + ivory black
shadows on the face, dark folds in the white robe, leather of the book
#291e20
burnt sienna + ivory black + touch of white
the ornamental vestment over the robe, warm shadow areas

edges and brushwork

Edges throughout are soft and painterly, with no sharp lines defining the figure against the background—the transition is subtle despite the value difference. The white robe is painted with visible, deliberate brushstrokes that follow the form without smoothing or blending; individual strokes of highlight and shadow remain legible. The face uses careful modeling with soft edges in shadows, but the brushwork is never invisible—you can see the artist's hand. Details like the mitre's decorative bands and the robe's embroidered patterns are suggested with gesture rather than rendered precisely, trusting the viewer's eye to complete them.

a working sequence

01
Establish the Dark Ground
Mix a dark, neutral-warm wash using ivory black and raw umber (or the close equivalent from your available pigments). Loosely block in the entire background—it need not be uniform, but should read as one cohesive, nearly black void. Leave the figure's area unpainted for now. This dark ground will anchor all subsequent values.
02
Block the Value Masses
Using the same dark mixture, loosely establish the placement of the figure: indicate where the head, shoulders, robe, and book fall. Use a mid-tone mix (burnt sienna + white) to block where the face and warm garments will sit. This is purely structural—no modeling yet, just identifying the three value zones (dark, mid, light).
03
Paint the White Robe
Mix a warm, pale white (titanium white + tiny touches of yellow ochre and burnt sienna). Paint the large draped white robe that occupies most of the lit figure. Work around the book and mitre. Allow the brush marks to follow the form of the fabric—indicate folds with slightly darker (ochre-tinted) strokes without overblending. Leave some areas crisp and others softer.
04
Establish the Book
Paint the open pages as a bright shape using nearly pure white with pale shadows suggested on the left edge. The book's spine and binding should be darker brown. Paint the pages as a clear rectangle or open shape, breaking up any monotony with subtle gray shadows to suggest the text and page fold.
05
Model the Face and Hands
Begin with a mid-tone wash of flesh (burnt sienna + yellow ochre + white), then add shadows using the same warm brown from step 2. The face should have clear light and shadow sides—the upper left receives light, casting the right side into shadow. Focus on the distinctive feature: the long beard. Paint the hands holding or resting near the book with the same approach. Do not overwork; let brushwork be visible.
06
Paint the Mitre and Ecclesiastical Details
The tall hat should read as a lighter, warmer tone than the background but darker than the white robe. Use yellow ochre + white for the gold sections, and darker warm browns for the shaded underside. Paint the ornate decorative band around the mitre with careful placement—this anchors the top of the composition. Add the chain or cross detail hanging from it using darker lines.
07
Add Vestment Embroidery and Warm Garments
Over the white robe, lay in the ornate robe or vestment using burnt sienna and ochre mixtures. Suggest the embroidered patterns with loose gestural marks—don't render every detail. Indicate the folds and the way this warmer garment drapes over the white robe below. The contrast between warm and cool whites should feel natural.
08
Refine and Harmonize
Step back and assess the overall composition. Adjust any values that feel discordant; ensure the background remains dark and unified. Soften edges where needed, crisp them elsewhere (especially where light meets dark sharply). Add any final details on the book, face, or mitre. A touch of highlight on the very top of the mitre and on the book's edge can add luminosity.

where studies of this painting go wrong

Making the background too light or mottled—it must read as nearly black and should feel like a unified void that makes the figure emerge
Overblending and smoothing the white robe into a featureless sheet—maintain visible brushwork and suggest folds with confident strokes rather than soft transitions
Losing the three-quarter pose or misplacing the head relative to shoulders—constantly check proportions and angles; the tilt of the mitre and the turn of the torso are key to likeness
Rendering the face too smoothly or missing the character of the features (especially the beard and the gaze downward)—use visible modeling strokes and don't chase perfect likeness at the expense of painterly presence
Making the ornate mitre or decorative elements too fussy or photographic—suggest them boldly and trust the eye to interpret
Treating the warm mid-tones (flesh, vestments) as separate from the overall composition—they should feel unified by a consistent warmth, not isolated

measured difficulty